Contents

Origin

A farmer was on his way home from a hard day work at the farm, while walking he was disturbed by many thoughts. He was scared of the assaults that would come from the highlanders. Good thing, the priests had taught him to have faith in God and ask for the protection of Mary. He comforted himself with good thoughts and immediately his fears vanished. As he walked on he saw a beautiful woman with a baby on her arms, he wanted to turn back and run but the woman called his name and told him that she wanted a church constructed on the site in her honor, so that many will benefit out of this.

The story spread out and gained popularity around the place. People began to visit and pray on the site regularly, and when asked where they had been. They would reply "Dimad Apo ya mantatawag" (from the Lady who calls). Finally, the phrase was shortened to "Manaoag" from which the name of the town came from.

The connection between the origin of the Manaoag tradition and the rebulto on the altar is easy to find. A church of light materials was constructed on the site of the apparition and the statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, brought by Fr.Juan de San Jacinto, was installed on the altar. A wooden church was constructed near the mission house of Santa Monica by Fr. Diego de Ballesteros to match the image but the church suddenly disappeared, apparently Our Lady did not like the idea of moving away from her desired location.

In 1710, Another church was constructed funded by Don Gaspar Gamboa but unfortunately it was destroyed by the earthquakes in 1900s. The image of Our lady was brought to Dagupan by Fr. Jose Puente via a carabao-driven cart during the Philippine Revolution of 1896. Miraculously, it was not harmed by the attacks of the Revolutionists. It was transferred to different homes to another for safekeeping.

In 1906, a new sanctuary was constructed so the image was brought back from Dagupan to the newly built church and reinstalled in Manaog. Many generously offered donations and contributed for the completion of the church. It was officially acknowledged by the Philippine Hierarchy in 1937.

Description

The beautiful image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaog was given by Fr. Juan de San Jacinto from Mexico. The image is dressed as a royal lady, holding her Holy Beloved Child Jesus on her right arm, on her right arm , she is holding a royal scepter and a rosary. She's wearing a queenly crown with diamonds.

Miracles

In 1610, Felipe Bayani, a farmer, came down with a fatal disease. He made a solemn promiseto serve Our Lady in his whole life if given the chance to stay alive longer. Immediately afer he made the vow he began to feel better. He fully recovered and assisted the Manaog Priory.

In another case, a couple decided to bring their dying son to Manaog, but he died on the way. They still went to the shrine and offered his body at the altar. As they prayed, their son suddenly stood up as if nothing happened to him. Same thing happened to a sickly seven year old boy who died in 1702. His body was taken to Manaog, and the boy suddenly stood up. He has grown up assisting the Manaog Priory.

A foreigner living in Bangkok who was married to a Filipina onced visited the country and heard about the miracles of Our lady of Manaog. During that time, he was having finacial problems and so he and his family decided to seek the intercession of Our lady and prayed fervently. Their prayers were answered. Since then, they would ask for her intercessions and they come to Manaog to attend the yearly Manaog Festival.

Senator Loren Legarda wrote in her column in Manila Bulletin that in 1999 that she was having throat problem and that she was about to lose her voice. During that time she was still deciding if she would enter politics or not. While on her trip to Dagupan City upon the invitation of the Bangus Jaycees, she paid a visit to the Manaoag Shrine and ask for her divine intervention because she wanted to serve her fellows. When she went back to Manila and reported for operation, the examinations had positive results. Her voice was restored. She also had a landslide win in the senatorial elections.

Such testimonials are proof of miracles and the power of God and Mary, the mother who "calls her children to Grace."

Veneration

The image of Our Lady of Manaoag was consecrated on April 21, 1926 by the Apotolic Nuncio Msgr. Guillermo Piani. She is venerated all over the country and has a huge following of devotees including the government agencies, politicians, business sectors among many others. Her image is one of the most copied. Her feast day is celebrated every second week of April.